The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-10-16
A VERY WICKED CITY.
The COrruptiOnS in Public
and Private Life
AT CALIFORNIA; ME IROPOLIs
The Vices and Crimes of Society In
San Francisco Graphically Set
Forth by ULYSSES"
Correspondence of The HERALD.

What has quite aptly been termed
spasmodic attacks of morality" come
upon communities as we'll as upon in,
divlduaIs. and in both cases they are
equally prone to be only transitory in
their effects. Just such certain period
has dawned upon this city; and, for
that reason, her Boss Tweeds and Jake
Sharps are evincing an uncommon
amount of trepidation; or, at all events,
one may reasonably presume them to
be in that delectable condition. A rich
lead has just been struck that promises
some. startling revelations of official
crookedness, but it remains to be seen
| whether the powers that be" will have
the requisite amount of backbone and
full issue. San Francisco, indeed, has
been long-suffering city, inasmuch as
she has for many years been burdened
with the rule of corrupt bosses, and has
uniformly borne this and other evils
with truly heroic meekness. 1t may
! be that now she is once fairly aroused
! she will make a publication SO thor
| ough as to keep her municipal house
hold in order for many years to come
That community IS in a thoroughly
bad condition in which the chances Of
justices are rendered uncertain on &C
count of the corruption of judges and
luries An unbiased view of current
developments would lead one to believe
that such is the condition of this COM
munity to-day. There seems to be a
goodly number of henchmen in San
Francisco that practices the celebrated
dictum of Sir Robert Walpole, which
declares that every man has a price,"
and, as consequence, money has
welded a considerable influence in city
affairs. So far, in fact, has this theory
been wrought upon that the briDing of
juries and the 0uying of judges, if one
may trust Dame Hearsay for evidence,
has been reduced to strictly scientific
business, and one which, barring acct
dents, promised muni6cent returns.
But as Burns well said:
"the best laid schemes O. mice and men
gang aft eglee.'
Little Pete" is she suggestive cogno-
men of certain wide awake resident of
Chinatown, who has long piled lucra
tive commerce with jurors. In an evil
hour he CHANGED to encounter q Juror
whose moral sense was more than Or
dinariiy acute, and Pete III consequence
failed TO make his usual connections.
He was arrested, tried, and, after the
usual delays of the law, sentenced to g
fve-year term in the penitentiary.
Here, it is thought, he will have ample
time to chew the cud of reflection in
hopeless eDdeayOL to falhom the mys-
ferrous ways of the unregenerate Nell
can man, " and whence 1t is also hoped,
he will emerge wiser and better man.
Yet Pete, it app ars, IS not any too well
satisfied with his sentence. He asserts
that there are bigger fish" than he in
the same pond and more guilty ones.
Furthermore he disclosed the where
abouts OF a collection OF papers that
would give sufficient evidence as to
these guilty ones. This news was i'm
mediately reported to the Grand Jury,
Whereupon its foreman, Mr.. MenZles,
procured search warrant and, attended
by the proper officers, made bold
descent upon the papers, which were
concealed 10 safe in Chinatown. After
little skilltul maneuVerng they were
gained possession of. This was bril-
liant coup d etGt, and is to be regretted
that the finale was not equally complete
and successful. Through the trick of an
artful attorney, and trick that has al
ready cost him quite dearly, these
papers, or most of them, were
gained under writ of replevin. They
then passed into the hands OF The sheriff,
who is himself regarded somewhat sus-
piciously, where they are supposed to
have been accessible to other deeply in
terested parties. They have since been
brought into court, but not, it is be
heved, before several of the most i'm
portant have been purloined. But
there are sufficient remsIning to cast
serious suspicion upon judge of one of
the courts, the District Attorney, GER
tain members of the bar and other
prominent men. But these gentlemen,
like all similar worthless, stoutly affirm
their complete innocence, denounce this
as manufactured stuff, and assert that
they are the injured victims OF e foul
conspiracy. But some of them, partic-
uiarly if Little Pete can be prevailed
upon to make a clean breast of the
whole business, will apparently have an
interesting time to bring the public to
view matters i'll the same light. At all
events, the next few weeks will likely
see some surprising developments, in
which some hitherto reputable man
may pass into well-merited odium.
But this is by no means the only brib-
cry question before the public at this
time; in fact there seems TO be an cpl
demic of such cases. Mr.. Creighton, an
eX-Gtate Senator and hanger-on of more
talented persons, was convicted for the
same Uftense. Pending his sentence he
was out OF bail. A few days ago he set
out upon an incognito Journey and is
now in parts unknown. In the mean
time those who went his bonds are anx-
iousiy praying tor his return, but IN
less he be retaken by some officer
OF the law the same are likely to
wait as long or longer than
the natural span of their own
lives. Yet it would seem that
Creighton was out the instrument of a
much more wealthy and influential
man, Mr.. Morrow by name, who is un-
der bonds of $50 coo to appear for trial
some time next week. If justice reach
him, the escape of Creighton will not
be such an insupportable burden for
the public to bear.
There is another attempt at bribery
growing out OF the notorious Sharon
divorce suit. A brief filed a few DAYS
H. - l.